The Institute
by MissChemicalReaction
Summary: Clary Fray is sent to Idris after her mother disappeared. She is sent to the Institute, an elitist boarding school for Shadowhunters and some downworlders. What will happen once she's there? Nothing is what it seems. What happens on the Institute stays in the Institute. AU/Slightly OOC
1. Welcome to the Institute

_"__Welcome to another year on the Institute"_

The voice resonated on the speakers that were evenly distributed around the school. It was September 1st, which meant that students were back, filling the previously empty and silent corridors.

A new year on the privileged boarding school in Idris, an isolated place to guarantee parents that the money spent on their kids' education was well invested. It was an elitist institution, big classrooms and even bigger rooms, and the students had all type of privileges available: big gardens, pool, stable, training rooms with a great variety of weapons etc.

A new year was about to begin. The can of worms was about to be opened.

* * *

Clary was abruptly awakened by the sudden stop of the taxi that was bringing her to her new home.

It didn't feel like home, not at all.

She had lived all her life in New York, with her mother. She was homeschooled and Jocelyn made sure that Clary trained and learned how to fight. That's what Shadowhunters were supposed to learn, after all. But they did so much more: they visited museums, they painted together, and they were a family, a small one, but a family nonetheless.

She was happy with her life the way it was. Everything was perfect until her mother went missing. She had disappeared and hadn't left anything behind, as if she had vanished into thin air. Clary looked for her, and even contacted the Clave and other Shadowhunters, but Jocelyn was nowhere to be found. They told her that Jocelyn had probably run away, that she needed to spend some time alone, but Clary knew better. She would have never done such thing; she was taken by someone. After some weeks they stopped looking for her, assuming that she had either died or didn't want to be found.

That's how Clary was sent to the Institute. Despite being unable to pay, the Clave sent her there, claiming that it was a safe place in which she would learn and be prepared to be a better Shadowhunter.

She had never been in Idris before, but she hadn't expected to see such a _green_ place. The school was surrounded by forest, protecting it from any outsiders. She had to admit to herself that it was a beautiful landscape that her fingers itched to paint.

She took the little belongings she had with her and got out of the car, finding herself in front of a huge building that looked really old, but well conserved. She was on a big patio, in which parents were saying goodbye to their children and students were waving to the friends they hadn't seen during all summer.

She stood there, awkwardly, not knowing what to do. She hadn't had to share class with anyone before, let alone living with someone else besides her mother. She looked around, noticing that there were some fairies and warlocks outside as well. What the hell was this place? Since when did the Clave treat so well the downworlders? As far as she knew, they were treated as scum by most of them.

She breathed in, and decided to go inside and look for the principal.

How come her life had changed that much in such little time?

* * *

Alec and Isabelle watched from afar as Jace talked with his father. They knew that Mr. Wayland's relation with Jace wasn't easy: they almost always had arguments and Mr. Wayland was never easy on his son. They knew Jace hated him, and that, even if he did, he couldn't not love the only person that had been there for him.

They watched Jace say goodbye to his dad with a hug and take his luggage as he started to walk towards them. His face lit up and couldn't stop grinning. To him, this school truly felt like home; in there, he was truly happy.

He put his bags down and hugged Izzy, still smiling. After, he gave Alec a big pat on the back, and proceeded to ask them how their summer had been. Soon, Sebastian, Aline and Simon joined them, and he did the same he did with Alec and Izzy. After two months of being separated, the gang was finally together again.

"Have you seen any new faces yet?" asked Sebastian. After all, he liked to play around with girls, and he needed new victims, as Izzy liked to call them.

"Some. A lot of young kids, and a couple our age more or less" answered Izzy.

All of them were 16, and it was rare to see someone of their age accepted in the school. Most of them joined the Institute when they were 6 or 7, and had grown seeing hardly any new faces. Alec and Izzy had been the firsts of the group to join, when they were six. Sebastian and Aline came when they were seven. Jace was eight when he was sent to the school, and Simon had been the last addition to the group when they were ten. They were a weird group, but they cared for each other dearly, even if Jace had been a bit difficult to get along with in the beginning.

_"__We would like to remind you that class attendance is obligatory. Skipping unjustified classes will suppose detention. We would also like to remind you that wandering outside the school's grounds will suppose…"_

"Two weeks of detention!" the group sang. Every single year they said the same. They'd welcome the students and then proceed to read the school's rules and punishments.

"Come on guys, let's bring our stuff to our dorms!" said Jace.

And together they left behind the patio and the Institute's fenced grounds.

* * *

Clary had already opened her bags and started to place her things. After a small talk with the Principal, Ms Penhallow, she was given her timetable and a small map of the school, and was told where she was going to be staying.

Her room, 17, was spacious and had plenty of light coming through two windows that were currently open, allowing her to smell the characteristic scent of old mixed with the scent of pine and earth. There were three beds, which were way bigger than the one she'd had back home and adjoining bedside tables. There were two wooden cupboards, big enough to fit the beds inside, and a desk with a couple of chairs.

She was bent at the waist, taking some clothes out of her suitcase when the door opened and 5 people came through it. So she was finally meeting her roommates.

Everyone looked at her as if she had grown a second head. She immediately stood up and felt a faint blush creep up her cheeks.

"Hi" Clary said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled among them.

"Hello, beautiful. My name is Sebastian" and with that, he took her hand and kissed it. Without moving his lips from her hand, he added "but you can call me anytime, darling" he kissed her hand again, and let her go.

Clary had raised an eyebrow at him "Does that ever work?"

Before he could answer, a black-haired girl did it for him "Never, but he still tries. These are my brother Alec, Aline, my boyfriend Simon, and Jace" she said, while pointing to each of them "and I'm Isabelle, but I go by Izzy. Call me Isabelle and you're dead" she warned the redhead. "And, you are?"

"Clary. Fairchild. Clary Fairchild" she stuttered.

"Alright, Aline and I are your roommates. We have some rules to tell you. One: you are not to touch any of our things. Two: you are not to bring any boy in here unless you tell us. We'll tell you the rest later. Now, out"

"What?" she was finding it hard to understand what she had said. Was she being kicked out of her own room? Who was this Isabelle?

"I said out. Move it!"

"But I haven't finished unpacking…" Clary said lamely.

"Don't worry, you'll finish later."

The redhead huffed and moved to the door, which was being blocked by a blonde guy, Jace according to Izzy. She tried to move past him, but he wouldn't bulge. She looked at him, questioningly. He just smirked and leaned a bit towards her.

"Make me"

Without him expecting it, she slapped him, hard. She was out of the door and had already slammed it shut when she heard someone laugh and could hear their voices.

"Feisty" had said Sebastian

"Finally someone that doesn't give in to your charms, Goldie!" a feminine voice laughed, which Clary assumed to be Aline's.

She was still replaying the scene on her mind. How could she let Isabelle kick her out? She blamed it on all the stress she had endured in those last three months. She was walking down the corridor when she bumped into someone.

She looked up to apologize when she was met by vaguely familiar eyes.

"Um. Sorry" she told the stranger while trying to figure out why she had the sensation of knowing him.

"No worries, lady" he smiled at her.

He was about to turn around when she spoke again.

"Do I know you?"

"No, I don't think so" he laughed.

"Oh, you seemed familiar"

"After all, I only spend time with books" at her questioning eyes, he explained "I'm in charge of the library. I guess that's the only thing the Clave sees me capable of doing, being a werewolf and all" he shrugged.

"Well, in that case, I think I'll see you around often. I actually enjoy libraries" offering him her hand, she introduced herself. "I'm Clary"

"Nice to meet you, Clary. I'm Luke" he took her hand and shook it. "Well, I'd better leave. If there's something you need, you know where to find me"

She smiled at him, and once he was out of sight, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. He'd said that they didn't know each other, but there was something on those eyes and the way he had talked at her that said otherwise. What did she know him from? Why had he lied?


	2. The blond man

Once the redhead was out of the room, everyone started laughing. No one was expecting her to slap Jace. No girl Isabelle had ever seen had been able to resist his charms, which was pointed out by Aline. Sebastian, on the other hand, thought it had been "sexy".

As they did every year, they threw themselves on the unoccupied beds. Every year they started having a roommate, but halfway through the year she would leave them because she felt they were being hostile with her and the group would have a third bed for their night reunions.

"How much do you think she'll last before she changes dorm?"

They made a bet. While Isabelle, Aline, Jace and Sebastian had said she wouldn't last three months, Alec and Simon had, surprisingly, said that she wouldn't leave.

"Did you see how she looked at you, Izzy? And how she slapped Jace after? Nah, I don't think she'll leave" Alec explained, while Simon nodded.

"She will end up leaving. Remember this you two!"

"Wow, Izzy, hostile much?" asked Seb.

She glared at him "You know why I'm doing this. I'm sure you all remember what happened with our last roommate"

The room fell silent again. They understood why Izzy kept pushing her other roommates away.

Originally, they were seven: all of them plus Libby. They had been inseparable. However, about four years ago Libby fell sick, and day by day, she got worse, her skin ashen, her eyes sunken deep. No one knew what was causing her to die little by little, and the only thing they could do was sedate her until her heart stopped beating.

Izzy had been the one closest to her and she was the one who had mourned her the most. No one could talk about it, or even mention it. Any evidence of Libby's existence was put away, and ever since she died she didn't let anyone sleep on her bed. She made sure that no roommate replaced her. For Izzy, Libby was perfect, and irreplaceable. No one could fill her shoes.

Out of nowhere, Aline spoke.

"What was her name?"

"What?" they all said at unison.

"The redhead, what was her name?" she insisted.

"Clary something… Fray?" Simon suggested

"Fairchild" added Jace. "What's this all about, Ali?"

"I knew it! Her name kept ringing a bell. She's the daughter of that disappeared Shadowhunter. My parents told me they were among the ones looking for her, but they couldn't find her." She explained.

"So?"

"Well, I wonder how she ended up here, given that she's from New York and had never been with other Shadowhunters before"

"Then someone is really interested in her being here… Why?" wondered Jace, furrowing his brows.

Little did they know that the answer to that question wasn't as easy as it seemed or how many problems it would bring them.

* * *

After wandering through corridors Clary found herself sitting on the hall, staring at the carpet, thinking of everything and nothing at the same time.

Even if at first she hadn't noticed, she now realized that mostly everyone her age was covered in runes or scars. Maybe that's what separated her from the rest, she hardly had any rune scars, and most of them were iratzes. She had only fought two demons, and it was because she had decided that a Shadowhunter club would be fun to go to. Her mom had been furious after she'd found out, but Clary knew that she was proud of her.

She closed her eyes trying to keep tears away. She missed her so much. She felt it even more now that she was surrounded by people but lonely as ever.

That's when she felt someone tapping her shoulder. She turned her head, expecting someone to claim her seat as Isabelle, but was surprised to see a young boy. He couldn't be older than 10.

"Hi, I'm Max!" he said cheerfully. She couldn't help but feel infected by his enthusiasm.

"Hi Max, I'm Clary" she told him, shaking his small hand.

He had messy short hair, and behind the glasses, a bright pair of blue eyes were looking at her full of curiosity.

"Why are you sad? Is it because you're new here?"

She chuckled. "No, it's not that. I just miss my mom"

She saw comprehension in his eyes, which turned sad. "I miss my parents too. I have my siblings here, but it's not the same. I want to read something, but they're probably busy…"

She looked at him, and took some hair out of his eyes "If you want I can read with you." she offered.

"You would?"

The hope shining in his eyes made it impossible for her to say no. She saw this adorable boy and thought about how many of them were sent here by parents who were never at home to take care of their children.

"Yeah, why not? It's not like I have any friends around here"

"Then I'll be your friend!"

After showing her the comic he was holding, he took her hand, taking her to the corridor that lead to the dorms. They were walking when they came across a man, probably not older than her mother. She only saw him for a few seconds before he was gone, as if he hadn't been there at all, but she could have sworn that he was smirking at her.

"Who was that blond man, Max?" she asked, suddenly feeling goosebumps.

He looked up from his comic, and she guessed that he wasn't even looking. At his questioning gaze she just waved her hand, as if she was dismissing it. What was wrong with everyone there? Was it her or was everyone really creepy?

She stopped, making Max stop as well. She made up her mind and decided to go after that blond man. Something about his smile had given her the creeps, and she wanted to know who it was. She kneeled in front of the little boy .

"Max, I remember there's some teacher I have to talk to" she lied "Why don't you go find your siblings while I do so? I'll read with you another day, I swear"

His shoulders slumped and he looked up at her "You promise?"

"Pinky promise"

After explaining to him what "Pinky promise" meant, she left him behind to try to find the mysterious man. Her sixth sense told her that there was something wrong in the school, and she wanted to find out what it was.

Ever since she was little she'd had a "sixth sense", something within her that knew when a car was going to splash water during a storm, or that could sense an enemy nearby. It was never wrong, and she had always followed that instinct, without questioning it. So she followed it, and went looking for the blond man.

* * *

Izzy and the others had been on their room for hours, talking about their summer and remembering everything that had happened to them during all the years they had been together, when Max came in.

"JACE!" he had screamed at top of his lungs. The golden boy turned around and picked him up in the air, both of them laughing. Jace was Max's hero, and Max was like a brother to Jace. He had always protected the kid, so that Max didn't have to go through what he had. Max was the only kid that wasn't scared of Jace.

After saying hi to everyone, Max sat on his sister's bed, giving her the comic so that she would read to him.

"Not so fast little brother. Where were you all day?"

"Well, at first I was with my friends. Then we went to the kitchen to have some food. We went outside to play football and laughed a lot when a ball hit Tammy. And after that I found a girl on the hall, she looked sad, so I went to talk to her and we became friends" he said excitedly.

"Is that your girlfriend?" asked Jace, while trying to tickle him.

"No!" he blushed "Ew. No. Why would I want a girlfriend for?"

"Wait till you grow up and see" laughed Sebastian. Everyone but Max laughed. He just looked at them quizzically.

"Besides, she's too old for me. She's more or less your age, I guess. Her name's Clary, and she's really nice, but she's sad because she misses her mom"

At the mention of her name all of them turned towards her bed, in which there were some bags and an open suitcase. Izzy had kicked her out like three hours ago.

Turning her attention back to her brother she asked him "Where is she now, Max?"

He shrugged "I don't know. She said she had to talk to some teacher or something"

After talking with him some more they were called for dinner so they left their room and went to have some food. They wondered what Sophie had cooked. First night at the Institute of the year usually meant a feast.

* * *

After first dinner together it had always been a tradition for the six of them to go to the boys' room and have some fun there. This year they'd managed to get some beers. They stayed there until twelve or so, when Aline and Izzy decided to go back and have some sleep. The boys said goodbye and carefully, making sure that there were no teachers on their corridor, went to their dorm.

They were slightly giddy from the beers, and after closing their door as silently as they could they started to giggle. It was raining outside, they noticed, and went to close the window.

"Iz, isn't it to quiet here?" asked Aline.

Izzy had felt it too. There was a strange electricity on the air, and it felt too quiet. That's when they realized.

"Clary. She's not here" stated Izzy. "Did you… Did you see her at dinner?"

Aline shook her head. Everything was just as she'd left it, so she couldn't have run away.

"What if anything happened?" asked Aline

"What if it didn't?" retorted Isabelle.

Aline was worried, and scared, Izzy could tell, and she admitted that she was scared too. That weird atmosphere had her nerves on edge. Suddenly, the lights started to flicker and the power went off. Both of them moved to get their witchlight stones.

They were clutching them tightly, as if they could absorb the energy emanating from them to calm themselves. Their heartbeat was steady and their hands were hardly shaking when they heard it.

At first it was just a small groan, barely audible through the thick windows, but it just kept growing louder until it was a loud and piercing shriek that scared them to death. They were rooted to the spot, trying to see through the window what was making such a noise. And that's when they saw something move on the forest.

They could hardly see, due to the lack of light, but on the moonshine they could see something big move through the trees. They were about to move to get the boys when Aline suddenly took her friend's hand.

Izzy didn't dare talk, so she looked at her and found her pointing at something outside. That thing kept moving, reaching a small clearing outside the school's grounds. That's when they could distinguish under the moonlight something red among all that darkness. The girls looked at each other, fear in their eyes.

"What if it's Clary?" frantically said Aline.

Isabelle was frozen, but managed to say the words that had been fighting to leave her mouth since she had seen it "What if it's blood?"


	3. Leap of Faith

Izzy and Aline were holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. The shadow was still moving out there, getting closer and closer to the school. Then, suddenly, the lights started to flicker and lit up the room again. After the initial surprise and the few seconds it took their eyes to adjust to the new light they saw, the growls and shrieks stopped. Whatever had been wandering through the woods was now gone.

They hadn't recovered from the shock yet when they heard someone knock on their door. The girls shared a look. Certainly, a demon wouldn't bother knocking, right? At least that's what they hoped. They picked the sharpest scissors they could find and slowly walked towards the door. _In this type of situations it would come in handy if we were allowed to have weapons on our room, even if it meant risking someone murdering their roommate_ thought Aline.

They got in position, as they were told when they were training. Aline was gripping the door handle, while Izzy was by the door frame, ready to throw the scissors at the visitor's neck if it was necessary. After giving her a nod, Aline opened the door. Izzy moved and found herself grabbing her boyfriend by the neck.

"What the hell?!" yelped Simon, taken aback.

She let him go, breathing in deeply. "Sorry Si."

"Guys, while I adore this kind of reunions I'd rather not be caught outside our rooms after curfew" said Jace.

The girls moved letting Simon, Jace and Seb inside. "You heard it, didn't you?" said Izzy after kissing Simon briefly. They knew how much their friends hated PDA.

"Are you talking about the thing that was moving outside the school, growling loudly? No, we didn't" he grumbled. "I assume you've seen it too" the girls nodded.

Aline opened her mouth to talk when she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. They all turned around, scared for the sudden interruption in the middle of the night. The door opened slowly, as if whoever was behind it didn't want to be caught.

* * *

Clary walked slowly through the corridors. Even if she had drawn a soundless rune on her arm she was scared of making any noise and increasing the possibilities of getting caught. She took the wrong corridor twice before reaching the one that led to her dorm. She opened the door as quietly as possible, trying not to wake her roommates.

She had just stepped inside when she realized that the lights were on, and when she looked up she couldn't stop the loud gasp that escaped her mouth. She brought one hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. She took a few deep breaths, and after closing the door, she turned towards the small group, who seemed to be as shocked as her.

"By the angel, why are you awake? You almost gave me a heart attack!" she hissed.

"We could ask you the same, Red" remarked Jace, who was sporting a red mark on his cheek. Clary did an internal dance after noticing this. "Where were you? We didn't see you at dinner"

"Why do you care?" she asked. It's not like any of them had showed any signs of wanting to befriend her.

"I don't, for all I care you could just jump off the roof right now." He stated "Just answer the question"

She scoffed "Excuse me? Who do you think you are? I don't have to tell anyone where I decide to spend my time"

Alec interrupted the conversation before it ended up in a fight "He's asking because something weird happened about half an hour ago, outside the Institute's grounds. You were nowhere to be seen, almost as if you had disappeared, and now you come here with messy hair and dirty clothes, as if you had been running through the woods. We just want to know if you saw something"

At this, Clary's gaze softened, all fury gone, replaced now by fear. She sat in her bed and fidgeted on her lap before she told them everything she had seen.

* * *

After leaving Max, she went looking for the mysterious man. She had seen him briefly, only noticing his blond hair and his creepy smile, but there was something about him that made her feel uneasy. The fact that she hardly knew the school was her main disadvantage, as she didn't want to get lost. She was too proud to have to admit defeat and face the teasing she would get from her schoolmates. So she looked for him in the hall and the surrounding corridors, without going too far.

She was about to give up the hope of finding him when she decided to try looking through the window. She saw him on the patio, standing there impassively, looking at her with piercing eyes. He raised one eyebrow at her, as if he was tempting her to go outside.

She moved quickly. She half-run through the corridors and nearly fell down the stairs, but she reached the front doors. She took a deep breath and got outside. The first thing she noticed was that it was starting to rain. Then she saw him.

She took in his appearance. He was tall and fit, and he was wearing a black suit. He was pale, even paler than her, and his blond hair was perfectly combed backwards. _Rich, probably a business man, _Clary assumed. He had sharp features and an aura of mystery and class. He hadn't moved from his previous position and he was staring at her.

"Who are you? What do you want? How do you know me? Why-" she bombarded him with questions.

He held up a finger in the air to shush her. "Let's go for a walk, Clarissa" she shuddered at his cold and empty voice. At her reluctance to go, he continued "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise" How did he know her name? Her full one?

She nodded and started to walk with the unknown man. He was always two steps forward and his feet didn't make any noise when contacting the ground, unlike hers which were loud against the rocks and leaves of the school grounds.

It was raining heavier know, and her red hair was sticking to her face. She tried to move it with her hands but it was in vain, it kept coming forward. Mystery man hadn't said anything since they started walking and didn't seem bothered with the pouring water. They reached the metallic fences that separated the school from the forest students weren't supposed to walk in.

"I'm not allowed to go outside" she stated.

He turned around slightly and just smiled. "You're not allowed to go outside_ alone_. You're with me, aren't you?" he said as he jumped the fence. She hesitated but did it as well.

Once outside they walked for about ten minutes. Once she was surrounded and protected by the tall trees, she stomped her feet and decided not to move until she got some answers. He must have felt her hostility towards him, because he stopped as well and turned towards her.

"Now we can talk. I might not be able to answer all your questions, I fear, at least not yet"

"Why did you drag me out here? Couldn't we talk somewhere else? Somewhere I won't get detention if I'm caught?" she protested

"I fear that not everyone in that school is who claims to be. I do not trust them, and neither should you. That's why I brought you here, where we can't be seen or heard"

Clary's head was starting to ache. Everything was really strange. "Well, let's start from the beginning. Who are you?"

He shook his head "I'm afraid I'm not allowed to tell you. Not yet, at least"

What? "Not allowed? Who's-" he interrupted her, again.

"I can't tell you that either, but I'm sure that you'll eventually figure it out."

"That's another thing!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air "How do you know who I am?"

He shrugged "I know that your mother disappeared. I know you were looking for her. You don't need to know anything else"

God, this was frustrating. Was she going to get a direct answer? One that wasn't cryptic or carefully planned?

"But there is something I can tell you" at this, she snapped her face back to him, suddenly interested by whatever he was about to say. "You were not sent to the Institute by coincidence. Someone made sure that you came here, someone who is clearly interested in keeping an eye on you."

"Wait a minute, what? Who?"

"I do not know and that is precisely why you should not trust anyone."

She was shaking by now. She couldn't really understand what he was saying. Why would anyone want to lock her in a school that was in the middle of nowhere? Had she done something evil in a past life? "Why? Why would someone be so interested in me?"

"Well" he suggested "You and I both know that your mother didn't disappear willingly. It would be a huge coincidence to end up here, out of all the places in the world."

She was about to ask another question when she heard a faint noise. At first it seemed nothing, but mystery man seemed to think otherwise because he put his hands on her shoulders. "Run. Do not look back, just run. Whatever you hear, whatever you see keep running until you are safe inside the school, understood?" she nodded. "One more question, who are your roommates?"

"Isabelle and Aline, and when I left there were some boys… Simon, Sebastian, Alec… and Jace! I think those are her names. Why?" the noise was louder now and she felt goosebumps raise on her skin.

"They are good kids. They are reliable. You will definitely need someone by your side, and those kids won't let you down. Now run!"

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. You just have to take a leap of faith"

And with that he disappeared into the woods. She felt a loud growl and started running without looking back, just as she was told. She fell a couple times, but was soon able to find the path that led back to the Institute. Her legs were hurting and she was short of breath, but she kept running. She was soaked now, and she could've sworn that she felt someone's breath behind her, whispering her name, even if she knew she was on her own.

She jumped the fence and run into the school. She marked herself with a soundless rune and proceeded to go back to her room, even if she was sure that she would hardly sleep.

* * *

"Did you see it?"

"Who was he?"

"Are you sure there was no one else in the woods?"

The group had listened to her story without interrupting her, but now that she was done they threw a lot of questions at her.

"I already told you what happened. I don't know who he is, I didn't see what was on the woods or where the man was going, and no, I'm not sure there was no one else, but I didn't see anyone there. It was probably the wind" she said meekly. They didn't think it was the wind; neither did she, but she wanted it to be the wind so bad. Otherwise she would be forced to consider something she was scared of.

"Hey, you're bleeding" pointed out Sebastian. She followed his eyes and looked at her legs. She had probably scraped them when she fell outside. She dismissed it with a hand, but he took his stele anyway.

He gently took her hand in his and moved her closer to him. She could only watch as he drew on her skin, one calloused hand holding the stele, the other one still holding her small hand. Once he had finished he looked up at her with a small smile "Done. See, it wasn't that bad"

She laughed "I know, I've had them done before, you know?"

He just laughed back "Most people would have said thank you"

"Well, what can I say, I'm not most people" she joked. She looked at him in the eyes, noticing the depths of his blue eyes "Thank you, Sebastian" she said sincerely. After all he was the only one that had treated her normally, if she ignored the fact that he'd flirted with her after just meeting her.

"Anytime"

"Well guys, it's really late and I'd really like to try to sleep. Our classes don't start until Monday, but I'd like to practice in the training room tomorrow first thing, so consider yourselves dismissed from our dorm" announced Izzy. Simon puckered at this, looking at her with puppy eyes. "Sorry Si, but you must leave as well. If you let me have my beauty sleep, I promise to_ reward_ you tomorrow"

"Ow, Izzy. TMI!" groaned the other three boys, while Simon had a dreamy smile on his face. That guy was seriously whipped.

After saying goodbye to the boys the girls changed to their PJs and proceeded to get into their beds. Since Clary hadn't finished unpacking she just put her things aside and made a mental note to wake up early and do it tomorrow.

She was throwing back the covers to get inside when Isabelle talked to her

"It was really irresponsible of you to leave like that and to venture outside the fence" she scolded the redhead. "It's not like we haven't broken the rules…multiple times, but this is different. You didn't know this guy and that thing that was outside? It could have killed you"

Clary felt a twitch of pain on her chest. Her mother would have picked almost the same words. There were times like this in which she wished it was all a dream and she would wake up at home, in the arms of her loving and slightly crazy mother. It just hurt to think about her, but Isabelle's words were kind of reassuring. They made her feel normal. They made her feel at home.

"She would have said the same, you know?" she gave Izzy a sad smile

"Who?"

"My mother"

The three girls were already on their beds now, and they'd switched off the lights. They could hear Aline's rhythmic breathing, which meant that she was deeply asleep.

"I'm sorry" murmured Isabelle, with a soft voice. When she wasn't kicking people out or interrogating them, Clary thought, she could actually seem nice.

"Don't be" told her Clary.

"And, Clary?" Isabelle asked again, trying to stifle a yawn.

"What?" she asked, groggily.

"I'm glad you're OK"

Instead of answering she just smiled as she moved on the big bed, slowly drifting to a sleep in which she dreamed of blond men and faceless monsters.


	4. The Greater Good

The guys went back to their dorm, walking slowly and quietly. They didn't bother using runes, since the walk wasn't that long. They were lucky not to find any teacher in the dark corridors, only illuminated by the moon. Once inside the room they changed into their pajamas and prepared to sleep. However, any of the boys could fall asleep. Their minds were busy thinking about the events of the night.

"Guys…" started Simon "Are you asleep?"

"Yes" growled Sebastian and Jace at the same time. Alec didn't answer, so he probably was.

"What do you think about what happened before?"

"I think it can wait until tomorrow, Lewis. However, I do agree with Red. We shouldn't trust anyone in here." replied Jace.

"Her name is Clary" muttered Sebastian, though Jace heard him.

"So, Clary?" teased the Golden Boy.

"What about her?"

"I don't know, you tell us" added Simon.

Sebastian sighed "I just healed her, that's all"

"That's what they call it nowadays?" laughed the other two.

Seb threw a cushion at him "Shut up you two! I mean… she's beautiful, nice, honest…"

"Whatever, dude" he yawned "You have my blessing. Now off to sleep everyone!"

* * *

Jace opened his eyes, blinking at the bright sunlight. He stood up and stretched out his muscles before noticing that he was alone. _Weird,_ he thought, _I'm always the first one to wake up_. He looked around and realized he was on a small clearing surrounded by tall trees. He could hear the distant sound of a stream or river_. So, I'm dreaming after all_

"Hello, Jace"

He turned around and saw a tall, blond man behind him. He was wearing a white suit and Jace could see some runes on his neck.

"Who are you and why are you interrupting my dreams?"

The man chuckled "I could answer that, but it is not what you want to know, is it?"

_What? What was he talking about?_ "I don't think I understand your question"

Instead of answering, the mysterious man looked up at the sun "It's beautiful, is it not?" Jace just shrugged "It is beautiful as long as you look at it from afar. The closer you get, the deadlier it becomes. Do not get too close or you will get burned." He said, looking back at Jace.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It is supposed to mean that you are in danger, Jace Wayland. You and your friends." He stated.

Jace was starting to feel dizzy. He had too many questions to ask, too many things going on in his head.

"I have a question for you. One I want to know the answer of"

"Only one?" the man asked, raising a knowingly brow.

"What is going on in the Institute?"

The man walked closer to him, until they were staring at each other's eyes. "That, my friend, is the right question" and with that said, he turned around and walked towards the trees.

Jace ran after him, but he was faster. "Wait" he yelled "I've got more questions!" but he didn't turn back. The boy kept running through the woods, but the blond man had disappeared. It was dark now and there was no moon in the sky. He took out a witchlight stone off his pocket and kept walking, aware now of the silence and loneliness of the forest.

His gaze was down when he saw a pair of shoes in front of him. He looked up to find his father looking down at something behind him. "You should not be here, son" he warned. Jace followed his gaze and saw a young boy, not older than Max. His hair was golden and he had a shadowhunter toy on one of his tiny hands.

The kid nodded and left, adding a hop to his steps. Jace looked up again. He was in a strange room, but he could tell he was in Wayland Manor. He saw some surgical material and some bottles with strange liquids inside. He wanted to see more, but his father appeared in front of him.

Jace found himself lying in a hospital bed. His father held a syringe. "I told you not to look, Jace" He felt something foreign run through his veins, causing him to feel a horrible pain, as if he was burning from the inside out. Before passing out he heard his father say "It's for the greater good"

* * *

He bolted upright. He was trembling and covered in sweat. He tried to calm down, taking deep breaths, but he was finding it hard to relax. He couldn't stop thinking about the dream_. If it was a dream, Jace_. It had felt too real, he had been too aware of everything.

He looked at the clock. 6:28. There was no point in trying to sleep now, so he decided to have a shower and start off his day early. Once he was dressed he decided to scare Izzy and Aline just for fun. Every year they had a pranks competition, so this year he would be the one inaugurating it.

He saw some people in their running clothes, prepared for a morning workout, and some teachers that were already preparing the classes that were to begin in a couple of days. No one said anything to him; his behavior and his father's reputation were enough to earn respect from most of them.

He was right outside his friends' door when a guy in basketball shorts passed next to him. The guy looked like he was Finn or Swede, since he was tall, light blond and fair-skinned. _Probably transferred from there_, Jace thought. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do" the guy smirked. He had a slight accent, but Jace couldn't place it.

"I won't" he reassured him, as he closed the door behind him. It was still dark inside the girls' dorm, and all he could hear were their deep and rhythmic breaths. He was about to go to Izzy when she spoke.

"Good morning, Goldie" said the redhead. How come he hadn't seen her before? She was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed and her head against the wall. He had totally forgotten about the new roommate. "I would have never taken you as the creepy stalker type of guy"

"Yeah, well, I would have never taken you for the violent type either"

"Who, me?" she said, battling her eyebrows and putting on an innocent girl.

"May I remind you you slapped me?"

"That could be the title for a Fallout Boy song… I'm sure it would be on the _Best Hits_ list" she laughed. He assumed Fallout Boy was a mundane singer or band, but he obviously caught the pun.

"Find it funny, Red?"

"I think it is a good_ punch_ line" she had raised one of her eyebrows, clearly enjoying teasing him.

"Well, Red, I'll get back at you"

She stood up and walked to him, close enough to see revenge shine on his golden eyes. She looked up at him, something that made her look less threatening, and locked her eyes with his. "I'll be looking forward to it"

They heard someone cough behind them and they saw Izzy staring at them, with an unreadable expression. _She looks between angry and amused_. "When you two are done flirting and plotting kinky ways of getting revenge on your pervy minds move it. There are people who want to have a shower" Since Clary's bed was behind the door and the other girls' beds were at the other side of it, they were blocking the exit. They moved enough to let Izzy get to the door.

"I'm not flirting with her" he took a glance at the redhead "Besides, she's not my type"

"As if, _Isabelle_. Goldie locks came here and was watching you sleep when I caught him" The dark-haired girl squinted her eyes at the use of her full name, but didn't put a lot of effort into it, as she had guessed why was Jace on the dorm.

"You wanted to prank us, didn't you?"

He held his arms up in the air, as if he was surrendering. "Guilty"

"This year you'll bite the dust, Jace Wayland. I'm sorry for my brother, but you guys won't stand a chance against us" she said proudly.

"How come you are so sure, _Isabelle_?" he was just doing it to irk her, but watching Izzy's face when calling her by her official name was just hilarious.

"I just know. I hear the winds of change"

* * *

The morning went by smoothly. After having breakfast he went to the stable with Max. The kid had always loved horses, and when he had been told on his first year that the school had some he had made Jace go with him. They had been there for an hour, brushing them and touching them, before Max tugged at his hand.

"What is it?"

Instead of answering, the boy pointed at something on the floor. When he processed what he was seeing and understanding what it meant, he told Max that he should go get someone, which Max did immediately.

There, on the floor, lied a dead horse. It would have felt normal it if wasn't that he was lying on a pool of blood. As he got closer to the animal he saw that his stomach had been ripped open and that his bowels were sticking out. The edges of the cut were ragged, instead of smooth, which ruled out the possibility of it being made with a knife or sword.

_Who or what butchered the innocent animal?_


	5. Not One of Us

"I swear to you guys, whatever did that wasn't human. It was a beast" insisted Jace.

He had already told his story twice, yet the others were finding it hard to believe. What or who would want to kill a horse? Why? But Jace knew better than to ask why. He had seen it and had instantly known that whatever had been on the woods the previous day had killed the innocent animal.

"Well, dude, what a great way to start your day, isn't it?"joked Sebastian. Jace sent him one of his "shut up" looks.

"Let's just hope that it doesn't get worse than this"

* * *

Sebastian had been thinking all morning about last night's conversation. He had always been a player, a one-night stand type of guy. Why was he suddenly interested in Clary? Had his friends been right? He found her funny, quick-witted and really good-looking. Maybe he did like her…

"Hey there!" Seb turned around, only to find the girl from his thoughts looking at him.

"Hey! Do you need something?" he asked politely. _Play it cool, Verlac. Don't be too eager_

"No, it's just that… well, I hardly know anyone, and they haven't been that welcoming" he noded.

"In that case I'm pleased to be your entertainer" he said, trying to make her smile, which she did. "Come on, let me take you somewhere"

He expertly guided her through the endless corridors and multiple staircases until he was in front of a metallic door. The training room.

"What is this place?" she was furrowing her brow_. It's cute_

He looked at her sideways and smiled at her "This, my lady, is the Institute's training room. Packed with a huge variety of weapons, this room offers multiple ways of training, including combat, sword fights or practicing with the crossbow. We even have dummies"

He opened the doors and saw that they were alone. After closing the doors he turned to look at her. Her mouth was slightly open and her eyes were dancing around the room. He could tell that she had never seen anything like that, and by the excitement that was showing on her eyes, she enjoyed fighting.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when she got closer to him. She had a smug smile on. "What are you waiting for Seb? I ain't got all day!"

* * *

They trained for two or three hours before they decided that they were too tired to go on. They were covered in sweat and hair stuck at his forehead. He should've been repulsed by the thought, but he found her incredibly sexy with her tousled hair sticking to her glistening skin. She had great training skills but she still could improve. He was sure that after a few months of training she would be better than most girls her age.

They were sitting on the floor, next to each other. They asked simple questions, like place of birth, favorite color or weapon of choice. They had been silent for a while when he noticed that she was way too quiet. At first he thought she was sleeping, but after shaking her slightly rejected it. She had passed out, probably due to exhaustion.

He carefully took her in his arms, carrying her bridal style. They left the training room and after going down two staircases, he took her to the infirmary. It was a spacious room, painted in soft greens and blues, probably to avoid the coldness of the white walls in mundane hospitals.

The woman in charge, Cathy, was a warlock, and she had a pupil, Magnus, who happened to be a warlock too. Since nothing too serious happened on the school, they were enough to heal the young Shadowhunters when an iratze wasn't enough. If something worse was to happen they would contact the Silent Brothers, but they hadn't needed their help yet.

He had barely come inside when he saw Alec rush to them. Sebastian noticed his hair was slightly messier than usual and that his cheeks had a pinkish tint. He eyed his friend carefully, shifting his gaze between him and Magnus, who had just come in the room looking as flushed as Alec.

"We were training in the room, and I guess she passed out from exhaustion. I thought it would be better if you checked her out" rushed Sebastian.

While Magnus examined her, Alec and he had to wait outside. "So… you and Clary, huh?"

He brought his hand to his forehead, sighing "Not you too, Alec. We were training, that's all"

Alec gave him a look, as if he knew that he was pinning after her "That's all?"

"Shut up!" he half-yelled. "What about you and Magnus?" he accused the other boy.

"Oh, nothing. We were_ training_, that's all" he mocked his friend.

* * *

"Hey Seb, can we talk?" asked Izzy.

Clary and him were sitting on the main stairs, laughing about everything and what-not, when she found them. He was about to say no when he saw her eyes. Izzy's dark eyes weren't easy to read, but right now they were showing anger. He nodded and told Clary that she'd see her later.

He followed the girl until they were out of Clary's sight.

"What the hell is your problem?" growled Izzy.

If Sebastian was expecting something, it wasn't definitely that. "What are you-"

She cut him off "You know our policy about our roommates. She's supposed to leave us alone." She huffed.

He scoffed "Come on, Iz, who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?"

Now it was her who was surprised. "I don't know what you're talking about"

"Come on, don't play silly. I know you, Isabelle Lightwood. Even if you try to deny it, you were worried about her when she went missing."

"I wasn't"

"You were. And you know why? Because it reminded you of _her_."

She was gritting her teeth and tears welled up in her eyes. "Don't. Talk. About. It!"

"It's time you face it, Izzy. She's not coming back, she's gone forever. It's okay to miss her, but you have to move forward"

She stepped dangerously close, all traces of sadness gone, replaced now by anger again. "Don't talk about her like that. You all might have forgotten her, but I haven't! Your stupid Clary has nothing on her! She is not one of us!"

"Don't call her that, Izzy"

She laughed humorlessly "I see… That's why you're so protective… You like her! Who would have guessed? Did you fuck her already?"

"Iz, leave and come back once you've calmed down"

"Yes, I'd better leave you go back to her… You repulse me… I can't believe you're replacing Libby"

* * *

"Hi Clary!" said a cheerful voice. The girl turned around to see Max standing next to her.

"Hey, big boy. What are you up to?" she asked curiously. She had only talked to him once but she was already fond of him.

"Playing hide and seek with my friends" some kid yelled and Max was already running down the stairs "See you later Clary!"

She laughed at the boy. She wished she was as free and careless as a kid. No worries, just happiness. She turned around and saw a boy about Max's age come to her. "Have you seen Max? I saw him talking to you the other day"

"I did. He went that way" she pointed in the opposite direction the boy had run to.

"Thanks!" the boy beamed. He went in the direction she told him. _Kids are really gullible_, she tought.

She was sitting there, just laughing at the kids, when she had a cold water bucket poured over her. She was now soaking wet, and cold all over. She stood up with as much decency as she could and turned around. There he was, golden all over, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Clary. I tripped and the bucket slipped from my hands" he apologized, even if she knew that he was holding back the laughter.

"I'm so killing you Wayland!" and with that she ran towards him. He'd already started running and was ahead of her. When they were in a long enough corridor she tackled him, falling on top of the Golden Boy, as she had nicknamed him.

She hadn't noticed the first time she had seen him, but after the reunion of the night before she had taken a good look at him. He was golden all over. He had a golden crown of messy hair that fell just above his golden eyes, framing them like a halo. He had a sharp jawline and strong features. He looked strong, but definitely on the leaner side, rather than on the overly muscular. He just looked like one of those models that her mom and she would draw just to pass time.

"Well, it's not like I'm complaining about having you all over me" she was straddling his waist and he was facing down "but your wet"

"You got me wet. Besides, the wetter, the better, isn't it?" she teased, wiggling her brows even if he couldn't see her face. She had always been teasing; her mind was always on the gutter, and couldn't stop the innuendos from coming out of her mouth. In that aspect, she was as carefree as any of the boys.

"Kinky" he added.

She removed herself from him, but obviously didn't help him up. He stood up on his own. "Be careful, Red, your violent tendencies aren't-" the rest of his response was muffled by her hand. Jace furrowed his forehead.

She had taken a look around the corner of the corridor and had seen the library guy talking with an older woman. Something inside her told her to spy on their conversation. Her body was against the wall but her head was tilted towards them.

"… besides, you know there's nothing I can do. Jocelyn was great at hiding." murmured the werewolf.

"I know. You sometimes forget that I knew her too" the woman scolded him.

She saw Luke open his mouth again, but couldn't hear his words, since Jace was whispering on her ear "They're talking about your mom, aren't they?" she just nodded "Spying professors on your second day here? You learn fast, Red"

But Clary's mind wasn't thinking of an answer. She was instead thinking of where the two of them could hide. Luke and the woman were dangerously close now, and Clary and Jace didn't have a way to escape without being caught. She quietly moved towards the closest dorm, gripping the handle. She did an internal happy dance when the door gave in. She had just grabbed Jace's arm and tugged him inside the room when the elders turned around the corner. She slowly closed the door, and leaning herself against it took a deep breath.

"That was close" she sighed.

"If you wanted to be alone in a room with me you should've just asked" he smirked.

The room they were in was similar to hers, but there was just one big bed and the closet was even bigger. "Who's this room?" she asked

"Got no idea" he answered. However, when they felt someone move the door handle, he added "Guess we are about to find out"

She frantically looked around, trying to find a place to hide. She was considering hiding under the bed when Jace grabbed her and yanked her towards the wardrobe. As before, the doors closed just in the nick of time.

They saw a teacher that Clary had never seen. He was middle aged and thinning hair. He couldn't see much more from the tiny cleft left in between the doors.

Jace's heart was racing inside his chest. He'd been told that if he were caught breaking one of the school's rules once more he'd be sent home, and hiding inside Hodge's closet would probably mean breaking a few. He saw the man leave, and after waiting a few minutes left the wardrobe to see if the corridor was empty, which it was.

He came back inside the room to tell Clary that they were alone and they could leave. When he opened the closet, he was surprised.

The wardrobe was empty.


	6. The Sinner's Soul

"Red?" whispered Jace "Red, where are you?"

She had been with Jace inside Hodge's closet, and now she was gone. How could someone disappear inside a closet?

He took a deep breath and made up his mind. He marked himself with a silent rune and making sure he wasn't seen, left the room. It didn't take long to go back to his dorm, where he knew the others would be. He could hear them talking from the outside, and when he opened the door everyone shushed.

"Where the hell where you? We were worried!" yelled Izzy.

"Long story. Guys, I think we've got a problem"

"What kind of problem would that be?" asked Simon.

"Well, the kind of Red disappearing inside a closet" at the redhead's mention Sebastian's head snapped up.

"What did you just say?"

"We were inside Hodge's closet and, once he left the dorm, I got out of it. After making sure that there was no one on the corridors I went back to tell her, but she wasn't there." He explained.

"Wait, how can someone vanish into thin air inside a closet?" even Alec, who was the logical part of the group, was at a loss for words.

"What were you two doing inside Hodge's closet?" inquired Seb. _He is jealous_

"Don't worry, Seb, she's all yours for all I care."

"Guys, come on, what are we waiting for? We have to find her" said Seb.

Everyone agreed but Izzy. She was shooting daggers at Sebastian, but he was ignoring her. Alec told them to get going, that he and his sister would join them later. Izzy protested at this, but stayed with her brother.

* * *

They'd just left the dorm when Aline stopped them. "Haven't you thought that Hodge might be sleeping? It's eleven already!"

"Eleven?" said Jace, incredulously. Everyone nodded "Fuck, I missed dinner!"

"Sorry, mate. Sophie made those chicken wings you love and she-"

"Lewis, shut up! And, no Aline, Hodge's not sleeping yet. He's got insomnia problems, or at least that's what he told me, and always volunteers to watch the kids' corridors"

After that, they resumed what they were doing. They'd just arrived when Iz and Alec caught up with them. One could tell that the girl wasn't happy about their current task, but didn't say anything. Jace tried the door handle but it had been locked. _Nothing we can't take care about_.

Alec drew a rune on the door, an opening one. It worked. To be honest, Jace was a bit disappointed; he would've never thought that Hodge wouldn't have any extra protection, but again, it wasn't everyday that five teenage Shadowhunters broke into your room.

Turning up the lights, they all went inside and locked the door again. The questions started again.

"I'm telling you guys. Long story short, I threw a bucket over her head, she got angry, tackled me, and heard Luke and Imogen come. She was trying to spy their conversation, but we could only hear bits and pieces. She heard her mom's name, wanted to know more, but we were about to get caught so we got into the first open room we found. We hid in the closet when we heard Hodge approaching us." Jace said, reproducing his moves. He opened the empty closet and got in. "He left, I got out, closed the doors" he did as he said "Went back to get her, and she wasn't here!"

He opened the doors, to recreate it. However, this time, the closet wasn't empty. Everyone held their breath, and Aline jumped. It was Clary.

"Okay, guys, if this is a magic trick it's a really good one" said Simon, with a shaky voice.

It was Sebastian who talked to her first. "God, you scared us!"

Instead of answering she just motioned for them to get closer. She pointed to a fading rune. "When we were in the closet I saw this. Somehow, even if it sounds weird, it spoke to me. I traced it with my stele and look at what I found" she traced it again, and a door appeared. "It leads to a small room, and it looks like no one has been there for a long time."

"Okay, now that we've found her, can't we leave?" huffed Izzy.

Seb ignored her "What's inside?"

Clary smiled. "That, my friend, is a really good question"

Jace frowned at that. Hadn't the man from his dream said something like that? Pushing his thoughts aside followed Clary and the rest of his friends, who had got inside the hidden room of the closet.

* * *

When Clary said that the room was small she hadn't been lying. They were seven, and they had very little space to move around. The room was full of folders, papers and boxes, and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.

"So, I guess that Hodge doesn't know about this" said Alec.

"Who's Hodge?"

"Hodge is one of the teachers. He and Imogen are probably the ones that have been around here the longest." told her Alec

"What does he teach?"

"Old languages, like Latin, Greek and several others."

"I bet his classes are a lot of fun" muttered the redhead. She was looking forward the start of classes, but Hodge's didn't seem that exciting.

While they talked, Simon and Jace had opened some of the boxes. There were toys, some drawings, books… nothing that indicated the origin or function of the room on the closet.

Simon was taking a look at one of the paintings when he exclaimed "I've seen enough _Lost_ episodes to know that _this_ is bad." He showed it to the others.

It was a painting of the Institute, and it was nighttime. The only light was moonlight, illuminating the tall trees that surround the school. It would've been beautiful if it wasn't for the black shadows that were seen between those trees. It was a painting of the thing they had seen two days before.

"And, like in_ Lost_, every time this thing came out, bad things happened" continued Simon.

"You watch _Lost_?" asked Clary. Simon looked away, trying to fight a blush.

"He's always been interested in mundane culture." told her Alec. "He's what you would call a nerd" Simon's blush was more prominent now.

"That's…" Clary stopped, trying to find words to describe it "That's so awesome! Finally someone I can talk about mundane things!" she beamed. Simon relaxed. Being interested in mundane wasn't someone that was well accepted on the Shadow world. "I love _Lost_!"

"What did you think about the end when-" she shushed him.

"No spoilers. I got into the series a bit late. Before coming here I was watching the third season." She warned the boy.

"Not to interrupt this lovely conversation of yours" Jace said "but Red, take a look at the painting"

She hesitated at first, still angry about their previous encounter, but did it anyway. She inspected it, not knowing what she was looking for. That was until she saw who signed it. Right under the moon's reflection, in black ink, it read _Jocelyn F_.

She shook her head "This doesn't make any sense" she felt like crying, but she was too proud and stubborn to let the feeling get to her. She'd been just a couple of days on the Institute and she was already involved in something that she wasn't sure she could escape from. Her mother had been there, and now she was sent there too. Monsters, secret rooms… what was this place?

She looked at the rest of her paintings, but they were portraits. Portraits of her, of other kids, that Clary assumed were her friends, and there was one of an older man. Nothing else that could reveal what was hiding outside the school's grounds; nothing that could give them a clue of what was happening in the Institute.

They went through the rest of the paintings, and looked at some of the papers, but found nothing. They found some photographs, in which she could only recognize her mom and that teacher called Hodge. The rest of them were complete strangers, which made her feel slightly disappointed. She'd expected to see the blond man that had talked to her, or Luke the librarian.

They decided to call it a day and, against Izzy's protests, come back the following day. Clary and Sebastian were the first to enter the closet and were about to open it and let the others out when they saw light through a small opening between the doors. They could see Hodge drink from a steamy mug on his bedside table, then he threw the covers over him and turned off the lights. They could hear him praying _"… Please forgive me because I've been a sinner…"._

They quickly got inside the room, colliding with the others, who were about to leave. Before they opened their mouths, Sebastian told them that Hodge was back inside the room, and that they would have to wait until he fell asleep. It would've been fine if it wasn't for his insomnia.

Since it would take long and the room wasn't really spacious, Iz volunteered to watch the teacher from the closet and promised to tell them once he was asleep. After a few minutes, taking everyone by surprise, Clary volunteered too.

"Have you gone mad? She hates your guts!" exclaimed Sebastian.

"I volunteered to watch, not to make friends" she replied.

"Lewis, will you still love her if she kills Red?" joked Jace.

Clary ignored the guys and closing the door behind her, went to sit next to the black haired girl. Isabelle took a glance at her and moved her eyes back to the door.

"Who was it?" asked Clary.

Izzy looked at her, not understanding the question. "Who was what?"

"Who did you lose?" the redhead insisted. Iz just looked away.

"Did Sebastian tell you anything?"

Clary just gave her a small smile "I don't need anyone to tell me anything. I know it by the look in your eyes. Us, broken souls, can recognize each other"

"I'm not a broken soul"

"It takes time to admit. It took me a while to get around the idea."

"I'm not like you, you don't know me!"

"You're right, I don't, but I'd like to" after seeing Iz's mouth hanging open, she explained "I'd like to have someone by my side who understands, who has been through that pain. Someone who doesn't pity me. Someone who will treat me as an equal"

"We all lost her. She was our friend, my roommate. You could ask any of them, you just want to know me because I'm the only one who wasn't nice to you"

"I'd guessed who she was by the way you look at my bed at night. And, yes, you're right, I could ask Aline, or Alec, or even Jace, but you and I both know that they don't remember her as much as you do. You still feel the pain, you still mourn her. You don't want to let her go._ I_ don't want to let her go"

Iz turned her face towards Clary and broke down. "She was my best friend, my rock. We were here together, and on the summer she would come over to my house. Then she died, and left me alone. She_ fucking_ left!" she was slowly raising her voice, and Clary was looking frantically at the door, fearing that Hodge would wake up "How dare you leave me? How dare you die and leave me alone?" it was heartbreaking to watch Izzy. Her voice was raw, and her eyes were red and swollen.

Isabelle's breaths had come down, and she wasn't sobbing anymore. _Everything is too silent_ thought Clary.

"Izzy" whispered Clary "doesn't everything feel too quiet?"

She nodded. She'd noticed it too. They turned their attention back to their current peephole on the doors. They could hardly see anything on the room, but they noticed what was lacking. Hodge's breaths.

Starting to panic, both girls looked at each other. They nodded, as if one could read the other's mind. They slowly got out of the closet, cursing when the door creaked. They moved closer to Hodge and saw, well, didn't see the rise and fall of his chest.

With a shaky hand, Clary brought her hand to his neck, thinking at the same time of possible excuses she could go for in case he opened his eyes and saw her in his room. However, that wouldn't be the case.

Against her fingertips, she couldn't feel the drumming of a beating heart. She couldn't feel the life pulse under her hands. Hodge was dead.


	7. A Wish Come True

**Short author's note. I don't usually write these, but I felt the need to apologize for taking so long to upload, but I was away on holidays. I'm lately having writer's block, so it took me a while to actually come up with this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and I'll try to post a new chapter soon.**

**Thank you for taking the time to read, review and add the story to your favorites and alerts. Your support is really encouraging. Any suggestions or questions will be welcome. Again, thank you and I hope you like this.**

**xoxo MissChemicalReaction**

* * *

_Sunday, September 3__rd_

"What do we do now?" Jia ran her hands through her hair for the hundredth time.

"We should tell the Silent Brothers, they'll take care of him. After all, he didn't have any family" told her Luke. Charlotte shook her head.

"No way we're letting anyone else know about what has happened. These kids' parents would be furious if they found out!" she exclaimed.

Jia sighed. Why was everything so difficult lately? "Lottie is right. If they knew, the Institute would lose most of the students."

"Am I the only one that noticed that we have a bigger problem in hands? Hodge is dead, and he was poisoned. Someone murdered him!" said Luke.

"Keep your voice down! Someone could hear you!" Jia shushed him "Besides, we don't know it for sure"

"Like hell we don't" replied Magnus. He'd been quiet during the conversation, but Jia's statement made him angry "I checked myself! I might be a Rookie here, but I can tell when someone's been poisoned. And, I know Hodge was kind of crazy, but not enough to poison himself"

"Which leads us back to the main question: what do we do now?" asked the headmistress.

"I have a suggestion" answered Magnus.

* * *

The teachers had discovered the body that morning. They'd been surprised when they didn't see him at breakfast, since he was always the first one to wake up. Raphael, one of the school's trainers, went to check if he was okay, and it was him who found Hodge dead.

His eyes were opened, bloodshot, and his lips were blue. His skin was icy and rigid against the touch, which meant that he'd been dead for at least 6 hours. Raphael quickly called the headmistress and the school's doctors. Since Hodge wasn't really young they thought he had died naturally, but Magnus wanted to be concise and to check just in case. The results of his analysis were surprising.

He'd been poisoned. Magnus checked the whole room, and concluded that whatever had been given to him, he'd drunk it with his tea before going to bed. Hodge was a routine man, so whoever had killed him had known him and his usual schedule.

_It must have been someone from the school_ thought Magnus.

* * *

_4 a.m, that same day.…_

The gang and Clary finally were on the girls' dorm. It had taken them a little while to leave the teacher's room after seeing him laying there, cold and still. The events of that night had shaken them a lot, especially Jace, who had been close to him since arriving at the Institute. Jace also knew that what they had witnessed had immediately put them in a position he didn't want to be in. They were involved in something that they couldn't control, something dark and dangerous. By the looks on his schoolmates' faces, they knew it as well.

"So…" Simon was trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled upon them. All of them were thinking about Hodge and the other weird events that had happened in the past two days.

"Guys, shouldn't we tell someone?" asked Aline "This shit is starting to scare me"

Jace scoffed "Great idea! We go to Jia and tell her 'Hey, Hodge's dead. We know because we spent all night inside his cupboard'. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that she wouldn't approve of our late night hobbies"

"So what? We keep quiet? He's-" she lowered her voice, realizing that she had started to yell at him "He's dead!"

Jace's face morphed into a surprise look "What? He's dead? I thought it was normal for him to lay that still and pale with his eyes open!"

"Cut the crap, blondie" Clary warned "We appreciate your sarcasm, but this is serious."

Now his shocked face wasn't fake anymore. His blonde eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "You agree with her?"

She shook her head "Even if it hurts my pride, I agree with you. No one can know we were there. For all we know he could've been murdered" she had said it. She had voiced everyone's thoughts. They wanted to deny it, to believe that it was unthinkable that someone had been killed on the Institute. However, it was also unthinkable that there were hidden rooms inside cupboards and that a shadow monster roamed on the school's grounds. It was a very real possibility.

"Am I the only one that sees that it can't be a coincidence?" everyone turned their heads towards Alec. "Come on! Clary arrives in here and all hell breaks loose: a screaming creature on the woods, a dead horse, a dead teacher, the librarian talking about her missing mother…"

"Is there something you want to tell me, Alec?" the redhead's voice was calm and cold as ice. _It's almost scary_ thought Jace.

"No, no, no" he said it while shaking his head, to emphasize it. Jace thought he feared the fire on her eyes "What I'm saying is that it can't be a coincidence, nothing else implied"

She nodded, still glaring at him.

Aline wasn't really into keeping it secret, but agreed nonetheless after all her friends agreed to it. None of them wanted to be on detention, or worse, expelled. After chatting up some more, all about what was taking place on the school, they went to bed.

No one had a good night sleep.

* * *

_Monday morning, September 4__th_

Clary was woken up by loud knocks on the door. She stood up, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She opened the door and found a woman standing outside. She was really beautiful, even if she had a huge scar that went all across one side of her face. The stranger was smiling warmly, which helped her relax, and introduced herself.

"I'm Sophie, the maid. You are Clarissa, aren't you?" _The maid? She doesn't look much older than Isabelle or Aline!_ she thought.

"I go by Clary, but yes, that's me."

"Then this is for you" the woman handed her a big rectangular box "Have a nice day" and with that, she turned around and left.

Clary was still by the door, holding whatever Sophie had given her. "Do you plan on standing there all day and skipping the first day of class?" Izzy was awake and had started to dress up. She took a look at the clock, which said it was six thirty. She had had two hours of bad sleep, perfect to start the new school year.

"No" she murmured. She sat on her bed and opened the box. There were three white shirts, two grey plaid skirts, three black jumpers and a pair of shoes. "Do we have to wear uniform?"

"Unfortunately for fashionistas like me" told her Isabelle "Those are the class clothes. We have our own training gear as well. At least they approve of makeup!"

Clary sighed. _Welcome to the Institute_ she thought _I wonder what they like about this prison-like place._

* * *

"Who's M. Bane?" Clary asked Sebastian.

He furrowed his brows "Why?"

She shrugged and handed him a sheet of paper, one among the ones that had been hung on the walls or been left at the students' desks. He read it and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What?" urged Clary.

"Wow" he sighed "It's hard to believe. Magnus Bane a teacher? Never would have guessed "

"Who's him?"

It was Seb's time to shrug "He's a wizard, but he's fairly new here. He came here all the way from England last year. He's quite… extravagant"

"What's he gonna teach?"

He read the paper again "It doesn't say"

* * *

"Yes! That's one of my favorite movies as well!" said Clary excitedly.

After getting dressed and having breakfast with the rest of the group (to Clary's surprise, it was Isabelle who asked her to sit with them), Simon and the redhead had spent probably more than half an hour talking about mundane things. Both of them were slightly nerdy and found out that they had a lot of things in common.

"Aren't you jealous?" Seb asked Izzy, their argument long forgotten. Both of them were looking at Simon and the redhead, who were walking quite ahead of them to their first class, which remained to be unknown since they hadn't been given their schedules.

She shrugged "He loves me, and I love him. We've been together for two years now. He's never been jealous of other guys, so why should I?"

"Besides" added Jace, who was also looking at them "it's great that they hit it off. That way he'll have someone to talk about nerd things and, therefore, won't give us a headache"

"Yeah, that too" nodded Izzy. Simon could be really tiresome when he got too excited about comics, or something called Dungeons and Dragons. She loved the way his eyes shone when he talked about anything mundane, but sometimes he got too carried away. She always compared him to Arthur Weasley, who had developed an unhealthy obsession for muggle things (yes, Simon had made her read Harry Potter, and even if she would have never admitted it, she had really enjoyed it).

The group arrived at the classroom and sat on their usual spots, leaving Clary to sit with Sebastian. Since they were an odd number, Aline sat down with "one of the new hotties" as she had put it. Simon and Izzy were sitting in front of them, while Jace and Alec sat behind.

"So, Clary, how are you liking this so far?" asked Seb.

"Well, given the fact that I've been here four days and something weird has happened on each of them, I can say that one won't get bored in here" she chuckled.

"Has any boy caught your attention?"

She laughed "Like I've had time to notice anyone" he chuckled at this. The past couple of days had been…interesting enough to keep them from actually acting like students and teenagers. "Not that I'm interested in boys right now"

He raised one eyebrow "Does that mean you are into girls?" he joked. She just stared at him, frowning. _Oh. _"Well, it's not a problem, I'm fine with it, really. Long live the rainbow flag! It's fine-" he was stuttering, he knew, but he only stopped when he saw her clutching her sides, laughing silently, as if she was short for air.

"You-" she laughed again. "You should have seen your face" tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I'm into boys, just not looking for one"

"Loverboy" called Jace from behind. "once you stop flirting with Freckles over there you should pay attention to class. It's about to start"

The other blond turned around, anger showing in his eyes. "I wasn't flirting with her" _I really like her, don't screw this up!_ his eyes were trying to say.

She put a hand on his shoulder "Don't bother, he's not worth it." Clary had been on the Institute for four days, yet she had already become Jace's favorite target for his sarcasm and rude jokes. He had come up with several nicknames and was constantly reminding her, among other things, of her height. She would always come up with really witty comebacks, which was probably why he was always picking on her: he wanted to win. Clary knew his kind: cocky, arrogant and competitive. What he didn't know was that she was really competitive as well.

He wanted to say something about what he was worth, but when the door opened, he knew it was time to shut up. He didn't want to start the year getting a teacher angry and risking getting kicked out of the school. Jace didn't want to be kicked out of school, and his father wouldn't want that either.

However, when the teacher got inside he couldn't help but snort "Magnus? Are you teaching now?" he couldn't see how the glitter boy would be able to teach them anything.

"Yes, and for the time being I'd appreciate if you called me Mr. Bane or Professor Bane" his voice was serious, stern. It reminded him of his father's. His smiled slid off his face.

"So, _Mr Bane, _what are you teaching us?"

"Latin, Greek… Everything Hodge used to teach"

The gang looked at each other, knowing that they'd finally found out the old man's body.

"Where's Hodge?" asked Isabelle innocently.

"Oh, Hodge has retired. He said he wanted to spend some time with his family. He asked us to tell you that he'll really miss seeing your faces every day, guys"

Jace leaned towards Alec "Of course he will" he whispered "It's not like he'll ever be able to see anything anymore"

* * *

The redhead woke up. Her head was pounding and her body was sore from fighting. She saw a couple of new bruises around her wrists and legs, and noticed that others were yellowing, starting to fade. She stood up.

She walked towards a big mirror that was hanging on the opposite wall. She was wearing a white, long, silky dress. Somehow, someone had changed her bloody and torn clothes without her noticing. _Runes_.

She did her daily check up, trying to look for something that she hadn't seen on the previous day. A door, a window, a secret passageway, anything. Something that could lead her out of her prison.

"Good morning, sleepy head. You were asleep for a whole day, you must have been really tired" the man said. He was smiling, looking at her almost lovingly.

"Yes, fighting your minions is kind of a tiring activity." She answered dryly.

His smile disappeared. "You shouldn't have done that. It was totally unnecessary"

She scoffed "Would you have let me out willingly?"

The man sighed. They'd had this conversation for a long time. "You know I can't. It's for the greater good"

"To hell with you and your greater good! I want to be with my daughter!"

"Well, that won't be a problem soon"

She gave him a look, raising a brow "Are you letting me out?"

The man laughed "No, darling. She's on the Institute, and she'll be with you soon"

Her face changed quickly, adopting one of pure horror. If there was something that she wanted more than escaping from wherever she was, was her daughter's safety. "Leave her alone, don't dare to even touch her!" she screamed "Let her go!"

The man laughed again, piercing her ears with his cold and cruel laugh. "You don't understand Jocelyn" he whispered by her ear while playing with her hair. It repulsed her. "Clary was our goal from the beginning"


End file.
